Reed facer



June 25, 1968 w. s. BROWDER REED PACER Filed Sept. 26, 1966 FIG.2

FIG-4 13 WA LTE R S. BROWDE R INVENTOR.

BY W fly,

ATTORNEY United States Patent Oifice 3,389,630 Patented June 25, 19683,389,630 REED FACER Walter S. Browder, 125Dallas Ave., Weatherford,Tex. 76086 Filed Sept. 26, 1966, Ser. No. 582,062

- 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-458) This invention relates to a reed facer, and itconcerns more particularly a small planing or scraping device, readilyadapted to be carried in the pocket or in the instrument case, forfacing, and for refacing as necessary, the reeds of musical reedinstruments, such as clarinets and saxophones, to provide a perfectlysmooth, planar surface on one side of the reed.

Reeds as employed in musical reed instruments, such as clarinets andsaxophones, ordinarily have initially a smooth, planar surface on oneside thereof for opposing engagement with the mouthpiece of theinstrument. But the reeds are affected by their environment, includingthe temperature and humidity of the atmosphere, and in time they tendto, warp, so that they are no longer true and do not function well inuse, and it may be necessary to discard them. In practice a musician maydiscard a number of reeds before selecting for use one that is inrelatively good condition.

The performance of a musical reed instrument necessarily depends largelyon the condition of the reed, and an object of the invention is toprovide a reed facer as described for convenience in maintaining thereed in condition for use at all times.

By use of the reed facer of the invention the reed may be caused toremain serviceable, in condition for use, for an indefinite period oftime, so that a single reed may be suflicient and it is not necessary toreplace the reed frequently or to provide any great number of them toselect from. At the same time the performance of the musical .instrumenton which the reed is used remains constant and true, and the instrumentis responsive to the skill of the musician.

The invention will be readily understood by referring to the followingdescription and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a full size, top plan view of a reed facer embodying theinvention, showing a reed arranged thereon as in facing or refacing thereed by advancing it longitudinally of the device, across the exposededge of the upwardly facing blade positioned intermediate its ends;

'FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the reed facer;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a view showing one side of the blade and its holder in adetached position thereof.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the numeral 1 designates generally areed facer embodying the invention, and the numeral 2 indicatesgenerally a reed for a musical reed instrument, such as a clarinet or asaxophone.

As shown, the reed 2 is arranged on the reed facer 1 as in facing orrefacing the reed 2 by advancing the reed 2 longitudinally relative tothe reed facer 1, in sliding engagement therewith, while supporting thereed facer 1 in fixed position on a supporting surface (not shown).

The reed facer 1 includes an elongated body 3 which is generallyrectangular and of hollow, molded construction, and advantageously maybe formed of light weight metal or plastic material.

The body 3, which in use is disposed horizontally, as shown, and has awidth greater than its height, hasa planar top surface 4 and is open onits under sidenA transverse partition 5 extends between the two oppositesides thereof, indicated by the numerals 6, 7, intermediate its ends 8,9.

The body 3 has a transverse slot 10 intermediate its ends, extendingdownwardly from the top surface 4 and bisecting the upper portion of thetransverse partition 5. The slot 10, which has a depth approachingone-half the height of the body 3, extends through the two 0ppositesides 6, 7 and is open at its ends.

A blade 11, shown in FIG. 4, is received'bodil-y in the slot 10 and hasits cutting edge, indicated by the numeral 12, facing upwardly andextending slightly above the top surface 4 whereby it is exposed. Theblade 11 is adjustably positioned in the slot 10 whereby it may beraised and lowered, and is secured against displacement therefrom ashereinafter described.

The blade 11, two of which advantageopsly may be formed by dividing aconventional double edge safety razor blade along its longitudinalcenter line, has a backing strip or holder 13, channel shaped intransverse section, embracing the longitudinal edge thereof opposite itscutting edge 12, which is positioned lowermost, adjacent the bottom ofthe slot 10. A pair of ears 14, which comprise reduced end portions ofthe blade 11, extend outwardly beyond the ends of the slot 10 for use ashereinafter described.

A pair of spring biased levers 15 on opposite sides of the body 3 eachhave one of its end portions engageable over one of the ears 14 wherebythe blade 11 is secured against displacement from the slot 10.

The levers 15 are passed through transverse openings therefor in theadjacent ends of a pair of rotatable shafts 16, which are passed throughthe respective sides 6, 7 and are acted on, respectively, by a pair ofcoil springs 17.

Each of the springs 17 surrounds the corresponding shaft 1 6 and isconnected thereto at one of its ends, and has its opposite end connectedto the transverse partition 5, whereby the levers 15 are biasedrotatively about their respective axes, to thereby yieldably urge theblade 11 against displacement from the bottom of the slot 10.

The levers 15 have small knobs 18 on one of their ends for engagement bythe fingers, and the arrangement is such that the blade 11 may beremoved from the slot 10 upon rotating the levers 15 about the shafts 16against the resistance of the springs 17.

A pair of stops 19 on the sides 6, 7 are engageable by the respectivelevers 15 to limit pivotal movement thereof in one direction only, toprevent the springs 17 from unwinding completely upon removal of theblade 11 from the slot 10.

A pair of adjusting screws 20, which are arranged longitudinally of thebody 3 in laterally spaced relation thereto, are threaded, as at 21, forengagement with correspondingly threaded openings therefor in the end 9of the body 3.

The adjusting screws 20 are pointed at their inner ends, as at 22, whichare passed through openings therefor in the transverse partition 5communicating with the slot 10 and are engageable under opposite endportions of the blade 11 and its holder 13, between the holder 13 andthe bottom of the slot 10, to thereby level the blade 11 and to adjustit vertically relative to the slot 10 to control the depth of cut.

A locking screw 23, which is arranged longitudinally of the body 3 alongits longitudinal center line, is threaded, as at 24, for engagement witha correspondingly threaded opening therefor in the end 8 of the body 3.

The locking screw 23 is blunt at its inner end, as at 25, which ispassed through an opening therefor in the transverse partition 5communicating with the slot 10 for abutting, clamping engagement withthe adjacent side of the blade 11 and its holder 13, to positivelysecure the blade 11 in any of its adjusted positions.

The invention may be modified in various ways without departing from thespirit and scope thereof.

I claim:

1. In a planing device for facing and refacing the reeds of musical reedinstruments, the combination of an elongated rectangular body of molded,hollow construction characterized by its small size and its lightweight, and having a length not substantially greater than twice thelength of a reed, adapted to be arranged horizontally on a supportingsurface in its operative position, the body having a planar top surfaceand being open on its under side, and having a transverse partitionextending between its two opposite sides, intermediate its ends, andhaving a transverse slot intermediate its ends extending downwardly fromits top surface, a razor type blade received bodily in the slot with itscutting edge facing upwardly and extending slightly above the topsurface, and with the ends of the blade extending laterally outwardlybeyond the sides of the body, a pair of adjusting screws arrangedlongitudinally of the body, on one side of the transverse partition,threadedly engaging openings therefor in the adjacent end of the bodyand having pointed inner ends received in openings therefor in thetransverse partition communicating with the slot and engageable underop- 4 v a posite end portions of the blade, between the blade and thebottom of the slot, and a locking screw arranged longitudinally of thebody, on the side of the transverse partition opposite the adjustingscrews, threadedly engaging an opening therefor in the corresponding endof the body and having a blunt inner end received in an opening thereforin the transverse partition communicating with the slot for abutting,clamping engagement with the adjacent side of the blade.

2. The structure of claim 1, and a pair of spring biased levers onopposite sides of the body, each adjustable pivotally about an axisparallel to the plane of the blade, engageable over adjacent endportions of the blade, exteriorly of the body, to secure the bladeagainst displacement from the slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,087,243 4/1963 Matousek 30-169RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

J. F. GONZALES, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A PLANING DEVICE FOR FACING AND REFACING THE READS OF MUSICAL REEDINSTRUMENTS, THE COMBINATION OF AN ELONGATED RECTANGULAR BODY OF MOLDED,HOLLOW CONSTRUCTION CHARACTERIZED BY ITS SMALL SIZE AND ITS LIGHTWEIGHT, AND HAVING A LENGTH NOT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN TWICE THELENGTH OF A REED, ADAPTED TO BE ARRANGED HORIZONTALLY ON A SUPPORTINGSURFACE IN ITS OPERATIVE POSITION, THE BODY HAVING A PLANAR TOP SURFACEAND BEING OPEN ON ITS UNDER SIDE, AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE PARTITIONEXTENDING BETWEEN ITS TWO OPPOSITE SIDES, INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, ANDHAVING A TRANSVERSE SLOT INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROMITS TOP SURFACE, A RAZOR TYPE BLADE RECEIVED BODILY IN THE SLOT WITH ITSCUTTING EDGE FACING UPWARDLY AND EXTENDING SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE TOPSURFACE, AND WITH THE ENDS OF THE BLADE EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLYBEYOND THE SIDES OF THE BODY, A PAIR OF ADJUSTING SCREWS ARRANGEDLONGITUDINALLY OF THE BODY, ON ONE SIDE OF THE TRANSVERSE PARTITION,THREADEDLY ENGAGING OPENINGS THEREFOR IN THE ADJACENT END OF THE BODYAND HAVING POINTED INNER ENDS RECEIVED IN OPENINGS THEREFOR IN THETRANSVERSE PARTITION COMMUNICATING WITH THE SLOT AND ENGAGEABLE UNDEROPPOSITE END PORTIONS OF THE BLADE, BETWEEN THE BLADE AND THE BOTTOM OFTHE SLOT, AND A LOCKING SCREW ARRANGED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BODY, ONTHE SIDE OF THE TRANSVERSE PARTITION OPPOSITE THE ADJUSTING SCREWS,THREADEDLY ENGAGING AN OPENING THEREFOR IN THE CORRESPONDING END OF THEBODY AND HAVING A BLUNT INNER END RECEIVED IN AN OPENING THEREFOR IN THETRANSVERSE PARTITION COMMUNICATING WITH THE SLOT FOR ABUTTING, CLAMPINGENGAGEMENT WITH THE ADJACENT SIDE OF THE BLADE.